


Antoshka

by LokasennaHiddleston



Series: Tony Stark's Secret Origins [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bucky Barnes Feels, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-05 12:44:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6704965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokasennaHiddleston/pseuds/LokasennaHiddleston
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony does not know what to make of the Winter Soldier's story. For Steve's sake, he's trying to help. For Steve's sake, he's trying to find Bucky Barnes and bring him back. But when an Avengers raid on a Hydra base leads to an unexpected discovery, Tony will find that Bucky Barnes may just be more than just his lover's best friend.<br/>Mental note: Scrap all footage of him hitting on Natasha. That's just awkward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Only Thing that Mattered

**Author's Note:**

> So waiting for CW has me in a state of complete discombobulation. I'm all over the place with everything. I came up with this idea, so I just wrote it, since it seems I can't do much else anyway. Also, you can tell I'm a mess since I actually wrote something without Loki in it. LEGASP!  
> Several notes: This won't be a long work - probably along the line of a three-shot. In fact, if I upload something new these days, it's liable to be short since I am not crazy enough to try to upload more long ass stories than I already have uploaded.  
> Also, I seem to be obsessed with Tony's history lately - I may write more origin stories in the future, but that doesn't mean I abandoned the concept in Family Reunions.  
> IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ THIS:  
> If you leave a comment to any of my stories in the upcoming week, please keep it spoiler-free for CW. I know it's premiered in some countries, but this is not the case here, so no SPOILERS!!!

All the Widows knew of him. The Winter Soldier. The best trained agent the Red Room had ever produced. He was seemingly ageless, and on occasion, if the Widows were lucky—or unlucky—they could even see him around.

Later, Natalia would never truly know if she had been lucky or unlucky. She didn't believe in the trite platitude that "it was better to have loved and lost." For one, love was for children, and she had long ago left behind any useless emotion.

And it definitely didn't start out as any type of close connection. In fact, it was simple. Natalia was a weapon, but one that still hadn't reached its full potential. The Winter Soldier's mission was to fix that.

So, he trained her—and somewhere along the line, he became Yasha and she became Natashenka.

They didn't speak of it where anyone could hear, and they didn't touch beyond sparring, the lessons Yasha gave her. But sometimes, there would be a glint of warmth in Yasha's eyes, and Natalia actually felt something—which was more than she'd had in a long time.

In hindsight, they shouldn't have done it, but when chance came, they couldn't help themselves. Natalia didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid that Yasha would soon be gone, that he'd disappear like he tended to do and return with blank eyes once more. It had happened, several times. Natalia had managed to salvage some sparks of recognition in the past, but she was not stronger than the Red Room. It was stupid to even try, but Yasha... Yasha made her feel.

The mission itself wasn't difficult, especially for two highly trained agents like them, but it did involve a level of surveillance that temporary drew them away from the Red Room. They spent more time together than they had in years. And maybe Yasha knew that soon, they would be separated again, because he reached for her first. When he kissed her, she kissed back.

It was not Natalia's first time, of course, but in her heart, she considered it to be—in every way that mattered.

It wasn't until much later that she realized the gross miscalculation she had made.

When the mission was complete and they returned to the Red Room, Natalia instantly knew something was not right. She felt it in the way the technicians' eyes sometimes fell on her. It scratched over her skin, made her finger her daggers whenever she had a moment.

And then, the nausea and the light-headedness started. At first, Natalia thought she must have been poisoned, but it soon became obvious that this was not so.

The first time she fainted, she woke up in the medical room, only to hear the doctors talk about her condition. "The baby is still in its incipient stages, but I believe it is safe to say the project is a success."

"Excellent. It would seem we shall have our next Winter Soldier."

Natasha went cold. She was pregnant.

She had never thought it possible. All the Widows went through a sterilization process at the beginning of their training. But clearly, the Red Room had done something that had allowed her to conceive.

She had been so stupid. Yasha—her Yasha—must have never existed at all. This pregnancy had just been a mission and nothing more, a way for the Red Room to get a child.

Except... That wasn't exactly right either. If they wanted a child, it wouldn't have been difficult to simply have them copulate, without adding the layers of interaction.

No, it had been true. Maybe the Red Room had planned on it all along, or maybe they hadn't, but Yasha did care for her, insofar as any of them could care. And now, there was a child.

In that moment, the seed of rebellion was planted in Natalia's heart. She could not allow the child to suffer the same fate as her and Yasha. Her own life was irrelevant, and she was a tool—she knew that much—but the child? No.

She wasn't stupid. Her chances of going through with her plan were slim at best. She didn't change her behavior in any way, though, and the Red Room bought it.

She was five months pregnant when she saw Yasha again. He was blank faced and stony-eyed, but something flickered on his face at the sight of her swollen belly.

They didn't speak then, but later Natalia found a moment to sneak away from anyone who might be watching and tracked him down. "Yasha, we cannot let them have the baby."

"Do you want to kill it?" he asked.

She had considered it, but something inside her kept her from doing so. "No. I don't."

He nodded. "I'll see what I can do, Natashenka."

With that, he was gone. The months passed, and soon, Natalia was ready to give birth.

She had never been more glad for her training than during labor. The pain was excruciating, but she still stayed cognizant and she managed to see her baby, for a brief moment, before they took him away. She stole a scalpel and stashed it next to her, planning to at least make a bid for escape—and for her child—even if she knew that in her condition, she wouldn't get far.

But she didn't have to make the attempt. There was a flash of metal in the labor room, and suddenly, the child was gone. Alarms started to sound. Natalia hid a smile. They'd never find him, not in time.

She never saw Yasha again—not for many years. Their handlers were furious, of course. They did find him, which was unfortunate, and she heard the Red Room had auctioned him off to Hydra. She did not even know what had become of their child, if it was dead or if Yasha had succeeded to save him. But the Red Room definitely did not have him, so she had no regrets. At the very least the child hadn't been left at the Red Room's mercy. Any fate was better than that. The child had been rescued and that was the only thing that mattered.

Later, an archer with a heart as remarkable as his skill with the bow finally pulled her out of the Red Room. Natalia joined SHIELD and followed orders all over again—this time trying to work for the good guys.

And then came Odessa, and the engineer who was shot through her. Any other assassin would have taken her out too. But he didn't. She lived—and Natalia knew that somewhere out there, her Yasha still existed.

It was stupid to hope, so she didn't. But for him, for the never spoken promises they had exchanged years before, for that baby who still lived in what was left of Natalia's heart, she tried to wipe the red from her ledger.

She did not expect the past to come knocking at her door.

****

 _Present_ _day_

The Hydra cell the Avengers fought that day was particularly vicious. Tony swerved around the trees and landed on the fortifications, his repulsors already zeroing in on the approaching minions.

"Well, there's definitely something here," he commented. "Otherwise, they wouldn't be fighting us so fiercely."

"Loki's scepter," Thor grumbled. "Finally we have found it."

Thor's voice came out a little staticky and distant, but Tony could still tell the God of Thunder wasn't in a good mood. Then again, that wasn't exactly unusual. Whenever Loki was somehow brought up, the explosions got particularly loud and Mjolnir flew with even more unerring accuracy.

They all knew better than to mention it, but Thor was still mourning Loki's death.

Tony could empathize, although for the moment, he also had other concerns—all the things Hydra could be up to with the scepter at their disposal.

Also, the behavior of the Hydra underlings was really bugging him. They almost seemed to be throwing themselves at him. Stalling?

"Fuck. They're stalling. I'm going in, Cap."

"Roger that, Iron Man. Be careful. And language."

Tony snorted as he flew into the building. "Seriously, Cap? That's what we're going with now? I don't hear you complaining the rest of the time."

"Aw, no, we're not going there," Clint whined. "Nobody wants to hear your creepy, Cap-debauching stories, Tony."

"Oh, God," Steve mumbled, obviously distraught.

Tony cackled. "What can I say? It's a point of pride for me, Katniss."

"Can we focus here, guys, and gossip about my love life later?" Steve barked.

"I am focused," Tony said. "Never been more focused in my life."

He landed in front of several goons and half-heartedly told them to put their guns down. They didn't. Bad move on their side.

It was actually fairly easy to find what he was looking for, if only because Hydra was trying to keep him from it. He made his way through the building and finally pinpointed a group that seemed to be carrying a massive receptacle.

Tony didn't think. He just acted. He landed in front of the group and didn't even bother with the warning this time around.

Once the goons were out of the way, he took a couple of deep breaths and struggled not to hyperventilate. He approached the container—only to recoil at the sight that greeted his eyes. "Holy shit."

"What? What is it Tony? Tony, report, damn it."

Under different circumstances, Tony would have been smug about the fact that he'd managed to get Steve to curse on the comms. Not that Steve didn't use profanity on a regular basis, but for some reason, he didn't like it when they were in battle. Tony suspected it might be because of Natasha and Steve still had some issues with cursing in front a woman—which was hilarious and adorable.

But all that was a side thought, because of what Tony had unexpectedly found. There was a ringing in his ears as he croaked out the reply, "Steve... He's here."

He didn't have to explain the identity of the "he" in question. There was only one person he could be talking about. The Winter Soldier, the assassin who'd killed Tony's family. James Buchanan Barnes, Steve's best friend and the guy who'd saved Steve's life when the helicarriers had fallen.

Apparently Hydra had not been guarding the scepter after all, but rather, their recently captured asset.

Tony had to admit that he'd been on the fence when he'd first heard about Steve's decision to help the Winter Soldier. At the time, he'd still been raw after the realization that he'd once again handed over technology to be used for evil—by the same organization who'd had his parents killed.

But at the end of the day, Barnes had saved Steve's life, and he'd been tortured, forced to do everything he'd done. So for all his private grief, Tony had thrown himself into helping Steve track down his friend.

It was really what had brought them together, how they'd ended up falling into bed with one another. But it hadn't prepared Tony for actually facing the truth of it.

At one point, Barnes had been captured and placed back into the cryogenic receptacle. It was likely just the fact that the thing was massive, unwieldy and difficult to transport that had kept Hydra from spiriting him away when the Avengers had first attacked.

"Cap, they got him on the ice."

"Get him out," Steve said shakily. "Get him out now."

"No!" Natasha unexpectedly snapped. "The technology is experimental. You could hurt him if you're not careful."

Tony agreed, although he didn't understand why Natasha was so adamant about it. "I'm going to need someone to come in and sweep up the stragglers," he said. "I can't leave him, and I'm not sure I can carry this on my own, even in the suit."

The weight itself wasn't the problem, but there were parts that could be damaged if he wasn't careful.

"Understood, Man of Iron," Thor said. "I will be on my way promptly."

After that, the explosions got even louder. Thor took the situation with Bucky very personally, since it seemed he found some sort of parallel between Bucky and Steve's story and his own relationship with Loki.

He was also an incredible help, and between the two of them, they managed to fly Bucky back to the Quinjet. By the time they did that, the rest of the Avengers had mostly secured the base. Tony stayed with Bucky without being asked while Thor went back to provide some assistance.

It was a good couple of hours later that Tony and the rest of the Avengers finally got Bucky to a secure facility and were ready to remove him from the capsule. But the problem didn't end there.

"There is a lot of damage done," Bruce told them. He looked exhausted from the hulk out, but he was sticking with them to help with Bucky. "It seems the freezing process was done in a rushed manner, and he resisted considerably."

The look on Steve's face just about broke Tony's heart. Nat had her non-expression mask on, which could have meant anything at all. The others looked glum.

"But there has to be something you can do, right?" Tony prodded.

"Bucky's unique biology does give him a fair chance, but by the time he was removed from his stasis, he was already in kidney failure. There were other wounds that went untreated while he was under the ice, and the cryo has slowed down his metabolism and is preventing his healing factor from working properly. The first thing we need is a blood transfusion."

"Take mine," Steve predictably said. "I have the serum too. It's bound to work."

Bruce shook his head. "Sorry, Steve, but records indicate that your blood type is not a match for Bucky's."

"What? That's not right." Steve's blood type was O, he could usually donate for everyone.

"It seems to have something to do with the formula of the serum that was used on him. His blood chemistry has completely changed."

That made more sense than Tony would have liked. Steve had problems with blood transplants too. When he'd been shot on the Helicarriers, the doctors had been unable to use blood transfusions, and in part, it had been because of the serum. Without a proper match, they'd risked doing more harm than good, and Erskine's serum was likely different from whatever Zola had used.

"Try my blood," Natasha unexpectedly offered.

Tony considered what he was about to do for about half a second, then threw all caution to the wind. "And me."

All eyes turned to him. Tony knew what they were thinking. He'd gone through palladium poisoning and a life of alcoholism. Out of everyone there, he was probably the least likely to be able to provide a healthy blood sample.

Bruce didn't question him, bless him. Maybe he already realized what Tony had done. "Okay."

Both Tony and Natasha were swept up for tests. As Bruce worked, they paced through the waiting room. Well, they mostly paced. Steve grabbed Tony's hand and held on tightly, his face drawn and pale.

When Bruce emerged, he brought good news. Apparently, against all odds, Tony's blood was, indeed, a match. Tony had never been more grateful for being a reckless SOB and injecting Extremis despite having seen what it had done to Killian's minions and to Pepper.

Granted, it was a stabilized version of Extremis, but it would serve well in boosting the superserum in Bucky's system. Or so Tony had guessed when he'd first offered. It had only been a distant hope, since he'd had no way of knowing Extremis would work when Steve's serum didn't, but apparently, he'd been right.

Bruce guided him away from the other Avengers for the blood transplant. As he set things up, Bruce said, "There's something I should tell you. According to these tests... Do you have any reason to believe that you may be directly related to Bucky?"

Tony had no idea what to say to that. He looked at the bed that held the pale form of James Buchanan Barnes. "Directly... related? Not as far as I know."

"It's still a bit dubious, since I wasn't actively looking for this particular thing when I did the test, but there were some similarities in your blood and his that appear in close relatives. Like parents, for example."

Tony stared. "What."

"It could be a mix up. Because of the serum. And Extremis. But I thought you needed to know. Maybe, if you want, I can do a more elaborate test later on and make sure?"

"Yeah, Bruce. I'd like that."

Tony sat on his own bed and let Bruce work. Close relatives? What the hell did that mean? As far as he knew, the Starks had no connection at all to the Barnes family.

Maybe it was nothing. Or maybe Howard had messed around when he'd been young and Barnes would end up being something wacky like Tony's brother.

Either way, it was worth looking into—but later, once Barnes was better. For the moment, that was the only thing that mattered.


	2. Safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am updating again :) It's not a long bit, but it was done, so I figured, why not?   
> Anyway, no more elaborate notes today :) Have fun and enjoy reading!

_Two days later_

"I can't believe you would endanger yourself like that. You knew Extremis was a risk."

Steve clenched his hands into fists, trying to calm his racing heart. He was torn between wanting to punch Tony and wanting to kiss him. But then, that was often his reaction to Tony.

"What do you want me to tell you, Cap?" Tony threw his hands in the air, looking exasperated. "I had a chance and I took it. Besides, I hardly think you'd be one to point fingers when it comes to experimental medical procedures."

Steve deflated. It was true. When he'd gone into that machine, the only thing he'd known was that the Red Skull had attempted the process before, and it had failed. It could have easily killed him, or turned him into a monster.

"I know. I just... I can't..."

Tony padded to his side, his own anger now chased away by awkward concern. "If it helps, I wouldn't have offered the blood transplant if it hadn't been safe. I'm more careful with other people."

Steve twitched. "Actually, no, it doesn't help." At all.

"It was the only way, Steve. If not for the Extremis, I couldn't have removed the reactor, or the shrapnel. And don't tell me you haven't noticed I look better, health-wise."

Steve felt his face heat. "You always look good."

It was true. Ever since Steve had met the perplexing Tony Stark, he'd been drawn to him. Even when he was tired or grumpy or hurt, he was beautiful, and the fact that somehow, they'd ended up in a relationship never ceased to astound Steve.

And yes, he'd noticed that Tony wasn't graying anymore, and his hair was in fact darker than it had been when they'd met, but he'd thought it was a vanity thing, Tony trying to conceal the signs of age. It had filled him with dread, to the point that he'd been unable to bring it up.

"This is a good thing," he finally said, pulling Tony close. "But please, be more careful in the future. Promise me."

"As careful as I can be, Steve," Tony said.

Steve leaned in closer, planning to drag Tony in for a kiss. They hadn't gotten the chance to spend too much time together since Bucky had been found, but now his condition was stable and he'd been transferred back to the tower. Soon, Steve would return to his vigil by Bucky's side, but for the moment, he just needed to feel Tony close—if only for a few minutes.

JARVIS's voice stopped him. "Sir, pardon my interruption, but Dr. Banner indicates that the tests are complete."

"Can't this wait, JARVIS?" Tony grumbled, nuzzling Steve's neck.

"I'm afraid not, Sir."

There was something in JARVIS's tone that wasn't quite right. If Steve noticed, Tony couldn't possibly miss it. He frowned and pulled away from Steve. "Jay?"

"Sir, I would strongly recommend that you not delay this."

"Well, that's not ominous at all." Tony sighed. "Come on, Steve. Let's see what Brucey found."

Bruce was in his lab, bent over his microscope. When Steve and Tony walked in, Bruce gave Tony a serious look. "Sorry for interrupting, but I really think you need to see this."

Bruce brought up a hologram with some numbers and graphs Steve didn't understand. Tony must have, though, because a few moments after he took it in, he went pale. "This... This isn't possible."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. But I double checked. It's right, Tony."

Tony's silence was quite frankly ominous. Tony was very rarely silent. His mind worked a million miles an hour, and while this had originally caused friction between him and Steve, Steve now found it comforting, endearing.

To see him so still and quiet was... not right.

"Tony? What is it?"

"I just... This doesn't make sense." Tony cleared his throat. "When I donated blood for Bucky, Bruce found some genetic similarities between us. It wasn't really clear, so he said he'd do more elaborate tests. And now..."

His voice trailed off, and Steve turned toward Bruce. After a few moments of hesitation, Bruce said, "The tests show Bucky is Tony's father."

Steve gaped. "That can't be right. It's... It's not possible."

"It may be. Sir has always been more resilient to damage than a regular human being. My own calculations indicated a chance of him having a strain of mutant DNA, since he has repeatedly survived instances that would have killed a normal person and recovered from injuries with striking rapidity."

Tony stared at his hands. "Stop helping, JARV."

JARVIS went silent. Steve didn't know what to say either. If Bucky truly was Tony's father... Not only was Howard not his true parent, but chances were Maria Stark hadn't been his mother either.

Tony must have been conceived at one point during the Winter Soldier program, which made Steve—and undoubtedly Tony—wonder who his mother was. How had Tony even ended up with Howard Stark if he wasn't truly Howard's son?"

"You know," Tony said at last, "even in his supposedly heartfelt video, he called me his "creation". I thought that was a sign that he cared for me, at least a little, but now... It makes so much sense."

"Tony... It could still be a fake match."

"Well, then, we'll just have to find out."

Tony stalked out of the lab and Steve swiftly followed, hoping to keep Tony from doing anything stupid. It was only chance that had them run into Natasha in the elevator.

Natasha took one look at them and asked, "What's wrong?"

Steve didn't say anything. It wasn't his place, and he didn't know if Tony would want to share it with the rest of the Avengers too.

He did. "Apparently, Howard is not my dad. Barnes is. And now, I have to double check that, or else I'm going to drive myself crazy wondering if my mom was even my mom at all. Pepper's going to kill me if I ask for an..."

He trailed off when Natasha made a noise like she had been lethally wounded. "Nat? What is it?"

Natasha didn't reply. She just stared at Tony like she'd never seen him before. "Natasha? Are you okay?"

Still no reply. Steve was getting increasingly concerned. He considered Natasha a friend, but he also knew that it took a lot to shake her. The last time he'd seen her like this, they'd just found out SHIELD had been infiltrated by Hydra, and even then, she hadn't seemed so... vulnerable.

Before he and Tony could get their answers, JARVIS piped up, "Sir, it seems Sergeant Barnes is approaching wakefulness."

Tony let the matter go. "Right. Take us to the med bay, Jay."

The elevator smoothly led them to their destination. By the time they reached Bucky's room, Steve was practically vibrating with anxiety. He'd only left Bucky's side because he'd been worried about Tony, but now, to know he might be so close to finally having his friend back... It was almost too much for him.

He knew Bucky would never be the same, of course. After everything he'd been through, that was just impossible. But Steve's friend was still somewhere in there. He had endured decades of Hydra programming. Steve wanted to help him find his way back.

In Steve's absence, Clint had taken over keeping an eye on Bucky. Originally, Natasha had been there too. He wondered what had made her want to go find Bruce. Maybe she'd had questions about the Extremis too.

In some ways, Natasha was still very much a puzzle.

Bucky was just stirring when Steve, Natasha and Tony entered the room. Steve remembered what a rough time he'd had when he'd woken up to the farcical setup provided by SHIELD, so he wanted to make things as easy as possible for Bucky. He sat next to the bed, while Natasha and Tony kept their distance, staying closer to the door.

Clint didn't come in at all.

Bucky's eyes didn't drift open. He just suddenly went rigid and neatly shot off the bed. Steve congratulated himself for insisting on not restraining Bucky. He didn't underestimate his friend, but he couldn't imagine how terrified Bucky would have been if he'd woken up to something like that.

He lifted his hands to point out he was harmless and said, "Bucky, it's okay. You're safe. You're safe. We got you out."

Bucky stared at him, a small frown on his face. "Do you remember me?" Steve tried again.

After a small moment of hesitation, Bucky replied. "Your mom's name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shoes."

Steve's breath caught. That was his Bucky, not the Winter Soldier, not programming. "Buck..."

Bucky twitched, and something shifted in his expression. He stared at his metal arm—and he must have realized it was no longer working, because he went even tenser.

His gaze shot to Natasha and then, to Tony. Suddenly, his focus seemed to zero in on Tony alone. Tony didn't flinch. "Hi there. I'm Tony Stark. It's nice to have you back, Sergeant Barnes. Steve was stressing over you like a mother hen."

He took a step closer, slowly, apparently casual, but being very careful to stay on Steve side and not unnecessarily put pressure on Bucky. "You probably have a lot of questions, but to start off, I'll say that you're currently in New York, in the med bay of Stark Tower."

"Stark Tower," Bucky repeated. "New York HQ of Stark Industries. Current CEO, Potts, Virginia. Current owner, Stark, Anthony Edward. Founder, Stark, Howard Anthony Walter."

"That's right," Tony said encouragingly, although he couldn't have missed the robotic way Bucky said that. "Stark Tower."

Bucky frowned again. Finally, he took a step forward.

Natasha moved so quickly that in a flash, she was between Tony and Bucky. Weirdly enough, Bucky didn't seem to feel threatened at the move. Instead, he kept looking at Natasha and Tony, as if he couldn't quite place them.

"Natashenka?" he asked at last.

Steve was grateful that he'd taken the time to learn Russian, because the exchange that followed would have confused him otherwise.

_"Yasha. I am sorry, but I do not trust you. Not with him."_

_"Him?"_ Bucky parroted.

_"You did it, Yasha. You kept him safe. Just like I asked you. Now it's my turn. I will keep him safe. Even if I have to protect him from you."_

Bucky's nostrils flared and his gaze shot to Tony. _"Antoshka."_

Tony looked between Nat and Bucky with a completely dumfounded expression on his face. His previous composure was completely gone. "I... Uh..."

Suddenly, Bucky shut down. His face turned blank, and all emotion vanished from his eyes. _"I can't be here, Natashenka. You have to let me go."_

"Bucky, no," Steve said in Natasha's stead. "It's not safe. Hydra can still..."

"I can't be here," Bucky repeated, this time in English. "I almost killed you. I almost killed her. And the rest... You have to let me go."

"Actually, I think you've been on your own for quite long enough," Tony said. "I hate having to strong-arm you into anything right now, but I'm going to exercise reverse parental rights and keep you here if I have to."

His gaze glinted with stubbornness and the solidity of his decision. Steve wondered how he'd ever missed the resemblance. Natasha had that exact same look when she was determined. In fact, Tony and Bucky had always had a lot in common.

Steve had actually noticed that before, and it was part of the reason why he'd been so uncomfortable with Tony in the beginning. The irony didn't fail to astound.

"Reverse parental rights?" Natasha drawled. "Is that even a thing?"

"I'm his next of kin, whether he knew it or not. Or are you going to argue with me on that point?"

Bucky deflated. "No, Antoshka. I won't argue."

"Good. Awesome." Now that the battle was won—and so easily too—it was Tony's turn to panic. "I'm just... I'm going to go for a bit."

Without another word, Tony pivoted on his heel and fled. Natasha watched him go with something strikingly akin to longing, and then said, "Go with him, Steve. I need a moment alone with Yasha."

Steve had so many questions. He wanted to ask why Natasha had never mentioned her history with Bucky. He wanted to ask how in the world Tony had come to be, and had ended up Howard Stark's child.

But this was not about him—so Steve went. Tony needed him.


	3. Time to Stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty much the last chapter - there'll be a short epilogue after that and then I'll be done. I'll probably go back to one of the Frostirons after I complete this. As always, thank you for your comments and kudos.

When he left the med bay, Tony made a beeline for the lab. His mind was still whirling with questions, with panic. He was shaking so badly that when he got to the elevator he had to lean against the wall so that he wouldn't slide to the floor.

Steve slid into the elevator seconds before the doors could slide closed. "Shouldn't you be with Barnes?" Tony asked, a little more snappishly than he'd intended.

Steve shook his head. "Nat stayed with him. I should be with you."

Tony didn't appreciate being babied, but he didn't ask Steve to go—which was just as well, since he doubted Steve would agree to do it anyway. He didn't say anything at all, until they were in the lab.

He wanted to bring up some specs, anything that would distract him, but instead, he swept his fist over the table, sending whatever he'd been working on flying across the room.

Steve caught up with him and pulled him close. Despite himself, Tony melted against Steve's warm chest.

For the longest time, he couldn't speak. He was still trying to process the recent realizations, trying to understand how this could have happened. When he finally managed to make his voice work, the words came out almost incoherent. "Jesus, Steve. What am I supposed to do now? What am I supposed to think? How is this even possible? I just..."

"You don't have to do anything, Tony. This doesn't have to mean anything you don't want it to."

Tony tried to believe that, but it was easier said than done. "I always knew something wasn't right. I mean, with Howard. But my mom... She loved me, Steve."

The words came out plaintive, far more so than Tony would have wanted them to. He wanted Steve to confirm it. He knew for a fact that Captain America did lie, but that was beside the point—because he wouldn't lie about this, and he wouldn't lie to Tony.

He'd told Tony that Fury was alive, even if he hadn't been supposed to. He would be able to tell Tony the truth.

"Did you ever doubt it before? That she loved you?"

Tony shook his head. His relationship with his mother had been complicated, as more often than not, she hadn't known how to handle him. But she had still done her best, insofar as she'd been able to.

"There you go then," Steve said softly. "Whatever you have with Bucky and Nat won't ever change what your mother meant for you."

That made sense. In fact, it made so much sense Tony was embarrassed for nearly having a panic attack over this.

Nothing had changed, at least not when it came to his past. These revelations did explain why Howard had treated him the way he had, but at the end of the day, he was still Tony Stark. His history was the same, and the fact that he'd learned something new about his parentage was, in some ways, largely irrelevant.

This wasn't about his dead parents, not really. It was about the ones who were alive. And it was actually mildly disturbing that he'd essentially hit on his birth mother. Mental note: scrap all footage of him leering at Natasha, or anything along that line. That was just awkward.

It occurred to Tony then that Bucky Barnes, the father he'd never known, had done more for him than Howard ever had. Tony might not have all the details, but from what he'd grasped of the brief conversation between Barnes and Natasha, Bucky had been the one to spirit him away.

Presumably, Tony must have been born at one point during Bucky's time as the Winter Soldier. Nat had clearly been working for the Russians, which meant that Tony must have been meant for some sort of purpose on the side of the Red Room.

What had it cost them, to make sure Tony was safe? God, Tony couldn't even imagine it.

"Tony?" Steve asked, his voice thick with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Tony automatically replied. When Steve gave him an unconvinced look, Tony amended, "Okay, I'm still a little shaken, but I realized—you're absolutely right. Besides, I'm a futurist. It's stupid to worry about the past when I have the future ahead."

For once, Steve didn't argue with him. Whenever Tony said something like that, Steve usually pointed out that people who forgot the past were doomed to repeat their mistakes, but this wasn't what this was about.

Besides, it was good to know why he'd survived Afghanistan and all the other shit he'd pulled in the past—and why the Extremis had worked so well on him.

Which reminded him... JARVIS had said something when Bruce had first made the "big reveal". Tony had been too all over the place at the time, but he hadn't forgotten.

"JARVIS. You been keeping secrets from Daddy?"

To his credit, JARVIS didn't pretend he didn't understand what Tony meant. That would have been stupid and useless anyway.

"It is true that your tests displayed some abnormalities even prior to the Extremis, Sir, but they were very vague. I did suspect that there might be more to it after your return from captivity, but I concluded it was for the best to examine the information further rather than report it."

"Tell the truth, Jay. You thought that if I knew I was more resilient than your regular human, I'd blow myself up even more often."

"That is accurate, Sir," JARVIS replied primly. "And my primary protocols do indicate that your protection is to be my priority."

"It's okay, Jay. I'm not mad. I do need someone to tell me when I'm being stupid."

JARVIS's tone lost some of the barely noticeable tension. "To be fair, Sir, you have Captain Rogers for that now."

"I think I still feel better when I know you've got Tony's back, JARVIS," Steve offered.

"Always, Captain Rogers."

In that moment, Tony felt really lucky. For all that he might have had a rough time in the past, the fact remained that he now had people who cared about him, who supported him. A few years ago, there had only been JARVIS, Pepper, and to a certain extent, Rhodey, but now, he had Steve, Brucey, Nat—the entire Avengers team.

Bucky had not had that in decades. And it was high time that changed.

****

The Soldier remembered Natashenka. He remembered her first as a little girl with flame-red hair, then as a young woman whose fire had not yet been fully tamed by the Red Room.

That fire had melted something in the Winter Soldier. She reminded him of someone—he didn't know who—but it didn't matter all that much either, because in his own way, he had cared for her.

When he'd seen her swelling with his child, she had known what would happen. It had been easy for him to imagine that child in his shoes—suffering through the same procedures.

Something had rebelled in him—and he had stolen the child and escaped the Red Room.

It had not been easy, but the Soldier had access to more files than the Red Room was aware of. Usually, they wiped him between missions—but the missions themselves provided him with information, and by the time he had to go, he was ready.

He knew of Howard Stark from a debriefing. Stark had been temporarily marked as a non-threat, as his main operations did not involve the Red Room much. There had been an incident with an individual called Vanko, but in the end, it had been deemed as largely a "wait-and-see" matter. But the end result was that the Soldier knew Stark was wealthy, and that he and his wife were having trouble conceiving an heir.

It would be easy for Howard Stark to hide the child in plain sight, in a way the Soldier could not. Stark had the means. All the Soldier had to do was give him the incentive.

It was easier than expected. The Soldier watched Stark, Maria and assessed her as an adequate target for the completion of his mission. Then one day, he sneaked into her car and left the child there.

He was counting on the boy's own youth and fragility to do the rest, but he did not leave until he was certain it had worked. It did. Maria was instantly smitten with the boy. Howard was not so happy, and this was not ideal, but it would have to do. It was definitely the best solution.

The child was named Anthony. Antonio, Stark, Maria called him. Antoshka, the Soldier branded him in his head.

The memory did not last. Naturally, he was found, and he paid the price for his rebellion.

The next time he saw Stark, Howard Anthony Walter and his wife, it was through the scope of a rifle. He did not hesitate to end their lives, although he made sure to do it quickly.

Stark, Anthony Edward was deemed a potential asset for Hydra, still useful. The Soldier did not know who Stark, Anthony Edward was, and it did not matter for him. He had other missions, other handlers, and always, the chair. Always the ice.

And then, Steve happened—and the chair was gone. The memories came tumbling back, memories of a different time, with dancing, and smoky halls, and a boy with a body too tiny to contain his courage. A boy who used to wear newspapers in his shoes. A boy just like his Natalia.

He had almost killed Steve. He had almost killed Natalia. The knowledge hurt, in a way that made no sense since he wasn't actually being physically harmed.

And now, here he was, with both of them—and with the child he had left in the care of the man he'd eventually killed.

He couldn't stay here, but Antoshka was stubborn. Maybe, just for a little while, it wouldn't hurt. After all, where else could he go? Hydra had found him once. They could do so again. He needed to regroup, to gather more intel, supplies. It would be stupid to be caught again because he fled this safehouse in a panic.

Natalia stayed with him after Steve and Antoshka left. She didn't say anything, but then, she didn't have to. She just took his hand and guided him back to bed. He went, because it was so much easier to do so than to try to fight her about it.

She didn't promise it was going to be all right. She didn't kiss him. She simply held on—and for the moment, it was enough.

Two hours and twenty one minutes later, Antoshka returned. Steve was still with him, but he hovered in the doorway.

It was quiet and awkward, and the Soldier watched, wondering what to say or do. Antoshka was the one who broke the silence. "Bruce said that you likely wouldn't be able to eat solid food for a while. I made you this. Smoothies are the only things I can make, so it's safe."

The "this" turned out to be a glass of odd-looking liquid. He took it, not feeling particularly wary. He was usually taught to avoid solid meals during missions since it would just make cryo more difficult later, but this worked well enough. If he did have to go to cryo again, it likely wouldn't do too much damage.

The first sip of the drink left him reeling in surprise. It was not like the other things he'd had after all. It was different. It left his mouth feeling... odd. Ah. This must be the "taste". The Soldier recalled mentionings of the concept, referenced in reports of poisons that left no traces in food or drink. In the Soldier's experience, food had not had taste in a long time, so it was a little overwhelming.

He must have reacted in some way, because Antoshka made a noise the Soldier could identify as caused by distress."You okay?"

"Yes," he replied automatically. He didn't want Antoshka to be distressed. "It's good."

Antoshka snorted. "Not so much, but it is good for you. Healthy, if nothing else." He sat on the edge of the bed. "So... Uh... Do you remember me?"

The Soldier nodded. "You are Antoshka."

"Your son. And Nat's."

The Soldier hesitated for a few moments, before finally nodding again. That was accurate enough, he supposed, although he had been very careful to make all traces of Antoshka's parentage disappear, and Stark, Howard Anthony Walter had done the rest.

Antoshka made another of those noises, and Natalia finally intervened. "I'm sorry, Tony. We did the best we could. They wanted to turn you into the next Winter Soldier, and we couldn't let that happen. I never knew... I never knew where Yasha took you. If I'd known..."

She trailed off, obviously knowing that wishes and "what if"s were pointless right now. Antoshka sighed. "Look, I won't lie. This isn't easy for me. But I think we can work it out together. And I think... Whatever else might have happened, you saved me from a pretty fucked up fate. I don't think I can call you Mom and Dad—that might be a little too strange even for me—but we may reach some sort of compromise."

It wasn't safe. The Soldier knew it wasn't safe. But he was so tired. And he had Steve, Natalia and Antoshka here. Maybe, for a little while, he could believe.

"That is agreeable," he managed to reply.

Silence fell, but Natalia intervened before it could get awkward all over again. "You know what this means, right?" she asked.

Antoshka arched a brow. "Other than the obvious?"

"I have to give Steve the shovel talk now."

Anthoshka made another pained noise, but for some reason, the Soldier this time knew it wasn't something to be concerned about. In fact, it drew a smile out of him. After all, if there was someone who could take care of Antoshka better than the Soldier or Natalia, it was Steve.

Although it couldn't hurt to talk to Steve just the same. He looked past Antoshka's shoulder, meeting Steve's gaze. "She's not wrong," he heard himself say. "Steve doesn't have much experience with relationships. I tried so hard to introduce him to some dames, but the punk was terrible at it."

Everyone froze. Steve let out a choked noise, his mouth opening and closing as if he was trying to say something, but failing to find the right words.

Finally, Steve squared his shoulders and made his way to the bed. He sat next to Natalia."Yeah, yeah I was. But to be fair, you were a terrible wingman. Always stealing the dames for yourself."

"It's just as well that we don't have to worry about that now," Natalia piped up. "Think of it, Yasha. Did you ever believe you'd be Steve's father-in-law?"

Steve went red and Antoshka flailed so hard he fell off the bed. Bucky smiled. "It's not a bad thing to be," he decided.

In fact, all things considered, it was pretty fortunate. Steve wasn't the most cautious guy in the world, and if Bucky remembered well, neither was Antoshka. They might be good at protecting each other—but themselves? Not so much. Clearly, they needed someone to watch their backs.

This would be his new mission, he decided, a mission of his own choosing. It meant that he would not be able to leave, but well... He had tried running before and it hadn't worked out. Maybe it was simply time to stay.


	4. Epilogue: Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shortish epilogue today and my nod to CW. Basically, the "don't fight, babies, I love you/screw you Ross" chapter :)  
> As always thank you for all your comments and kudos.

  


They ambushed him on one of his trips to LA. He had to visit the LA Stark HQ, and while it was an irritant, Tony had planned to make it expedient—handle the meeting, talk to Pepper, hopefully avoid arguments, then go back home.

He did not expect to run into Thaddeus Ross just as Happy parked in front of the building.

Tony considered telling Happy to just keep driving. He could sneak in later, using the suit. But he'd never been one to back away from a fight, and it wasn't that he hadn't known this was going to happen sooner or later.

He left the car and headed toward the entrance of the building. Ross predictably intercepted him, flanked by a number of goons who were strikingly similar to the Hydra minions Tony had just recently taken out. Maybe all minions were the same, whether they worked for a Nazi organization or not.

"Mr. Stark. I have to speak to you at once."

Tony gave Ross an unimpressed look. "In case you don't realize, General, I'm pretty busy. If you want to talk to me, you're going to have to make an appointment like everyone else."

"This is a matter of national security, Mr. Stark," Ross said. He sounded tense, and Tony couldn't even blame him, since the last time they'd seen each other, they'd almost come to blows.

"U-huh. They're all matters of national security."

Tony swept past Ross, only to be blocked by the minions. The Stark Industries security staff converged on the area, but Tony waved them off. He didn't want a conflict. Besides, he could handle Ross.

He turned to face the general and took off his sunglasses. "Are you really going to play this game with me, Ross? Because for the record, you'll lose."

"Mr. Stark, this isn't a game. Or are you going to deny that you currently have a traitor to the United States government in custody?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Actually, yes, I am going to deny it. I don't have anyone in custody."

"Mr. Stark, we know the Winter Soldier—"

"Don't even start. The person who is staying at Stark Tower is James Buchanan Barnes, a member of the Howling Commandos and a war hero. He is not "in custody". He is receiving treatment after being a POW for the better part of a century. So, as you can see, I can't help you."

"Mr. Stark, not even you are above the law."

Tony smirked at Ross. "But I'm guessing you are. It must be real comfortable for you to find a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong, just so that you and the other government officials can pretend you didn't do anything wrong. But then, that's your MO, isn't it? Tell me, General, whatever happened to Emil Blonsky? Right, I remember. Cryo-cell in Alaska, am I right?"

Ross's face flushed. Obviously, he hadn't expected Tony to know. But Tony made it his business to look into everything concerning Ross, and whoever and whatever had threatened Bruce in the past.

"I find it intriguing that you wanted to make him an Avenger, then promptly stashed him away when he turned out to be to volatile."

"Mr. Blomsky simply defended himself from the Hulk's attack. The Hulk is a monster. He—"

"The Hulk is a large part why New York still stands, General, and you'll do well to remember that. And whether the government chooses to look away or not, the fact remains that Harlem is on you. But then, you did love to blame everything on Bruce. And you're doing the exact same thing with Sergeant Barnes. But it won't work this time around either, General, and you know it."

Ross did know it. Tony had an army of lawyers on Bucky's side, and doctors ready to swear he had been coerced into his actions as the Winter Soldier. It was not the first time Ross had tried to get to Bucky—undoubtedly, he was salivating at the prospect of getting his grubby little paws on someone with the superserum—but Tony had successfully held him back.

In a way, Hydra had done them a favor through the severe damage they'd done to Bucky in the last cryo freeze. It was sickening to think that way, but it didn't make it any less true. With all the injuries Bucky had suffered, it was in fact not very difficult to convince the authorities that Bucky was not in any condition to even stand trial.

But Ross had never been one to give up easily. "What I know, Mr. Stark, is that people are afraid. The damage caused by your team of so-called superheroes has to be acknowledged."

"Like you acknowledged your involvement in Harlem?"

"This isn't about Harlem. The United States government doesn't condone actions of vigilantism. It needs to stop."

"Right. Tell me again who saved the president?" Tony was done with this. It was stupid to even continue the conversation with Ross. "I'll only say this once, Ross. Stay away from my family. You will regret it if you don't."

Without another word, he shoved his way past the minions. They might have been muscle heads, but Tony's new and improved Extremis self didn't need the suit to free himself of Ross and his cronies.

It was only when he finally entered the building, with Happy trailing behind him, that he realized exactly what he'd said. Family. That was actually pretty accurate. Somehow, at one point, the Avengers had become his family. And if he actually had a mom and dad now on top of everything else... Well, he couldn't bring himself to complain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know it's somewhat open ended. But who knows. After CW, I may feel the need to revisit it. For the moment still waiting and AVOIDING SPOILERS.


End file.
